News

The North-Caucasian District Military Court has found Abdurakhman Usmanov, a resident of Dagestan, guilty of involvement in the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) banned in Russia.

Vladimir Putin's meeting with Anatoly Bibilov on May 2 in Sochi is a violation of the international law, said David Zalkaliani, Deputy Head of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Andrei Sabinin, an advocate, has filed a complaint against the investigator, who is dealing with the attack on journalists and rights defenders, committed on the Chechen-Ingush border in March 2016. According to Andrei, until now, he had no chance to study the case materials.

The North-Caucasian District Military Court has upheld the verdict passed by the Armenian court, which had convicted Valery Permyakov to life imprisonment for killing a family in Gyumri. According to the Russian court, the convict must serve his sentence in Russia.

A month after the publication by the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" of an article about a "prison" for gays, the chief of the Argun police showed journalists of the "Life" the building, which was discussed in the article. At present, the building looks abandoned. Meanwhile, not all of its territory was shown in photographs and videos.

Elkhan Nuriev, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who worked as a driver, said that his bosses forced him to resign. He is fifth member of the party, who lost his job after the April oppositional rally.

The Azerbaijani authorities should carry out complete and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the death of activist Mekhman Galandarov. This was stated by the US Department of State. The leader of the public alliance "Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners" believes that the statement voiced by the US Department of State indicates a doubt in the version about the suicide of the oppositionist.

The team of the Azerbaijani website "Meydan TV" and Zaruhi Mejlumyan, a journalist of the Armenian edition "Hetq.am", have been granted the Free Media Awards in the sphere of freedom of speech.

Said Suleimanov, the head of the Kuli District of Dagestan, suspected of abuse of authority and forgery in acquisition of housing for orphans, pleads not guilty. He intends to appeal against the initiation of the criminal case against him.

In April-early May, the Environmental Protection Prosecutor's Office discovered 68 dead dolphins in the Black Sea off the coast of Novorossiysk.

According to sports commentators, Azerbaijan attaches great importance to its participation in the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games and expects to take the first place in the unofficial team scoring. Political analyst Khikmet Khadjizade has noted that Baku officials intend to conduct the Islamic Solidarity Games for political goals.

The practice of public humiliation of residents of Chechnya for criticizing Kadyrov will cease after the Kremlin's interference, but now, the federal centre ignores the problem. This was stated by Mikhail Roschin and Alexei Malashenko, experts on the Caucasus. Valery Borschov, a rights defender, believes that the situation will change only after the change of power in the republic.

A collective letter with a request to influence the situation with the persecution of gays in Chechnya was sent to Sergey Lavrov, the Russia's Foreign Minister, by his colleagues from Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Germany.

In Karachaevsk, about 5000 people attended the rally dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the return of the Karachay people from deportation.

In Azerbaijan, lawyers associate the blocking of websites of oppositional media with the authorities' attempt to introduce censorship in the country. According to the lawyers, the authorities 'claims have provoked the publications criticizing the regime, but the court ignores the defendants' arguments.

The community council of the city of Tolfa located near the capital of Italy has officially recognized the genocide of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire.

The Astrakhan Regional Court has dismissed an appeal against the decision of the Kirov District Court of Astrakhan to recognize as lawful the refusal of the Astrakhan City Mayor's Office to sanction an anti-corruption rally. Activists intend to challenge the decision of the Astrakhan Regional Court.

In Dagestan, staff members of the Ministry of Sport and the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund take away posters from the hands of Marat Aslanov, a regional MP from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), who went to a picket. The police decided not to detain the picketer after they learned that he was an MP.

The general title of Sergey Dubrovin, the new chief of the Dagestani Department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), can give him advantages in his new position. This opinion was voiced by journalists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". They did not rule out that after the appointment of Sergey Dubrovin, the ICRF's Department for Dagestan can be replenished by people from his Stavropol team.

Starting from May 14, Maikop will host a meeting of the new association "Shuuya Khase". Its goal is to preserve the Kabardian breed of horses and increase the prestige of horsemanship. According to Ismel Mizov, the leader of the "Shuuya Khase", the authorities do not take measures to preserve the Kabardian breed of horses, while members of the Circassian Diaspora are ready to take part in the activities of the "Shuuya Khase".